Customer Reviews

Obsolete

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

However, fear factory is not. Obsolete is, simply put, a great album. What many people don't realize, however, is that's it's not all about the music with Obsolete, it's about the music in relation to the story in the booklet. The album's lyrics follow the story in the booklet, and if one or two songs simply blast and have no melody and just blast, it's because of the story (If you have this album, think track 8). I own the digipak version of this album. It comes with 5 bonus tracks as well as the original ten, and I would say they are worth your extra money. I can't really say whether this is Fear Factory's best or not, considering the only other FF album I own is Digimortal, but it is definitely worth your time. Here is my track by track review.

1) Shock (8/10) A somewhat good opener. Not as good as "What Will Become?" on Digimortal, but still good. Insanely heavy, and the only melody comes in the form of Burton holding notes.
Meaning- About putting a "shock to the system".

2) Edgecrusher (10/10) Kind of rappish, but that's OK 'cuz rap-metal isn't bad for the most part. Nice bassline during the chorus. An FF classic.
Meaning- "Edgecrusher" is the (good) terrorist from the story in the booklet.

3) Smasher/Devourer (10/10) One of those FF songs that mixes melody and screaming rather well. The low singing (I am the way) during the chorus is reminiscient of what I've heard from Soul of a New Machine (Major-laber debut) and Concrete (Independent first release). Nice singing after the chorus.
Meaning- The "Smasher/Devourer" is, in effect, a futuristic police robot in the story. It tracks criminals down.

4) Securitron (Police State 2000) (9/10) At the start of this song, it sounds like a police raid, and someone says "There is a Fear Factory in this division". Other than that, this song isn't really that memorable. Chorus has singing, but really doesn't convey any sort of tune to the listener. Creepy melody during the bridge. I like when he says "no place to hide".
Meaning- Securitron is the security organization of future. They cameras placed all over the place, apparently.

5) Descent (15/10) This is total change from the first 4 tracks, and that may be because it is discussing things human rather than machine related things. I LOVE the guitar riff and drumbeat. This is one their "all singing" tracks. Oh, I bought the CD because of this song also. My favorite track on the album.
Meaning- Edgecrusher is comtemplating whether his life is worth it. Is he just descending further into oblivion?

6) Hi-Tech Hate (8/10) A lot like Securtron. There is nothing really special about this song except the cool special FX. A good headbanging track. I like when Burton screams "Cowards to all!".
Meaning- This song's words are supposed the speech of a rebellious man to group of anti-society activists. They speak of man's war against the machines they created.

7) Freedom or Fire (10/10) My favorite of the heavier tracks. The intro is so awesome, I love the guitar! Dino is one my favorite guitarists of all time. Screams most the way through, but when he starts singing it sounds so evil (in the coold kind of way). My 3rd favorite.
Meaning- Relates to the man speaking in Hi-Tech Hate. A bunch of Securitron officers discover the activists and start causing chaos and destoying things. The man speaking lights himself on fire rather than being captured by the Securitron, hence the name "Freedom or Fire".

8) Obsolete (7/10) Kind of just here to get the lyrics across and go with the story. Everyone says it so terrible, but I like the guitar riffs.
Meaning- A robotic Secutitron officer picks up the megaphone the now flaming man was using. The words of this song are what the officer yells through the megaphone. It contrasts the words of Hi-Tech Hate. The booklet says something like "The intrument that was the once the voice of reason has now been transformed into a melted, mutated version of disorder."

9) Ressurection (10/10) Hugely different from the track before it, once again because it speaks of Edgecrusher and his whereabouts. Has a lot of singing and almost seems positive rather than scary and mechanical like the rest of the album. AMAZING, Love the strings. They could have made this the last track on the album. My 2nd favorite. If you havent yet, you must hear this before you judge Fear Factory.

Meaning- The meaning isn't as clear here as in the other songs. I think it refers to the resurrection of the memories that have been forgotten since the world became so technology oriented. During this part of the story, Edgecrusher finds a statue of a long dead man, and thinks he remembers it from somewhere. I'm pretty sure the statue is supposed to of Jesus Christ.

10) Timelessness (10/10) In this track, the meaning and the music seem to coincide with each other. Just Burton singing over some beautifully done strings. Seems to be mourning the loss of everything that was lost during the course of the album. The story in the booklet may seem a little far fetched to you at this point, but if you read it you will be able to tell that if things keep going the way they are, it could easily be this way by 2067 (when the story is set).

BONUS TRACKS- These don't follow the story.

11) Cars (8/10) A Gary Numan cover featuring Gary Numan. This was a big single. Like the orginal with added guitars and Burton singing. The second or third best bonus track.

12) 0-0 (Where evil dwells) (9/10) EVIL. Another cover. Pure death metal. Kind of creepy (as death metal should be). About a serial killer in Northport, Long Island.

13) Soulwound (11/10) This is so awesome! By far the best bonus track. Worth your extra money alone. Originally recorded for their now re-released first album "Concrete". Havent heard the Concrete version, just this one. Death metal, like 0-0. I love it when he sings "Soulwound, soulwound, deep cuts cut deeper".
I like this better than some of the normal tracks.

14) Messiah (9/10) Some really cool intrumentals with Burton screaming "Messiah!" over the top. I don't remember if it has any other lyrics or not.

15) Concreto (9/10) Sounds like a comic super-villain. More death metal stuff. Blasting bass drums and low singing. I used to hate this. I like it now.

GO BUY THIS ALBUM (The digi-pak version)

As an avid fan of techno as well as metal/hardcore, i must say that this album brings the best of both worlds. Intelligent samples, smashing grooves, and punishing lyrics make this album thoroughly enjoyable. The musicianship is top-notch (in comparison to some of today's othe metal acts). The guitarist, while choosing to eschew solos, does a superb job in laying down an unforgettable anthem. The bassist and drummer add the best grooves lines of any hardcore band i have ever heard. Lastly the vocalist tries, and succeeds, in blending an agressive and heavy verse with a startling original and unique chorus. A must have album for any true metal enthusiast.

Obsolete is, simply put, a great album. What many people don't realize, however, is that's it's not all about the music with Obsolete, it's about the music in relation to the story in the booklet. The album's lyrics follow the story in the booklet, and if one or two songs simply blast and have no melody and just blast, it's because of the story (If you have this album, think track 8). I own the digipak version of this album. It comes with 5 bonus tracks as well as the original ten, and I would say they are worth your extra money. I can't really say whether this is Fear Factory's best or not, considering the only other FF album I own is Digimortal, but it is definitely worth your time. Here is my track by track review.

1) Shock (8/10) A somewhat good opener. Not as good as "What Will Become?" on Digimortal, but still good. Insanely heavy, and the only melody comes in the form of Burton holding notes.
Meaning- About putting a "shock to the system".

2) Edgecrusher (10/10) Kind of rappish, but that's OK 'cuz rap-metal isn't bad for the most part. Nice bassline during the chorus. An FF classic.
Meaning- "Edgecrusher" is the (good) terrorist from the story in the booklet.

3) Smasher/Devourer (10/10) One of those FF songs that mixes melody and screaming rather well. The low singing (I am the way) during the chorus is reminiscient of what I've heard from Soul of a New Machine (Major-laber debut) and Concrete (Independent first release). Nice singing after the chorus.
Meaning- The "Smasher/Devourer" is, in effect, a futuristic police robot in the story. It tracks criminals down.

4) Securitron (Police State 2000) (9/10) At the start of this song, it sounds like a police raid, and someone says "There is a Fear Factory in this division". Other than that, this song isn't really that memorable. Chorus has singing, but really doesn't convey any sort of tune to the listener. Creepy melody during the bridge. I like when he says "no place to hide".
Meaning- Securitron is the security organization of future. They cameras placed all over the place, apparently.

5) Descent (15/10) This is total change from the first 4 tracks, and that may be because it is discussing things human rather than machine related things. I LOVE the guitar riff and drumbeat. This is one their "all singing" tracks. Oh, I bought the CD because of this song also. My favorite track on the album.
Meaning- Edgecrusher is comtemplating whether his life is worth it. Is he just descending further into oblivion?

6) Hi-Tech Hate (8/10) A lot like Securtron. There is nothing really special about this song except the cool special FX. A good headbanging track. I like when Burton screams "Cowards to all!".
Meaning- This song's words are supposed the speech of a rebellious man to group of anti-society activists. They speak of man's war against the machines they created.

7) Freedom or Fire (10/10) My favorite of the heavier tracks. The intro is so awesome, I love the guitar! Dino is one my favorite guitarists of all time. Screams most the way through, but when he starts singing it sounds so evil (in the coold kind of way). My 3rd favorite.
Meaning- Relates to the man speaking in Hi-Tech Hate. A bunch of Securitron officers discover the activists and start causing chaos and destoying things. The man speaking lights himself on fire rather than being captured by the Securitron, hence the name "Freedom or Fire".

8) Obsolete (7/10) Kind of just here to get the lyrics across and go with the story. Everyone says it so terrible, but I like the guitar riffs.
Meaning- A robotic Secutitron officer picks up the megaphone the now flaming man was using. The words of this song are what the officer yells through the megaphone. It contrasts the words of Hi-Tech Hate. The booklet says something like "The intrument that was the once the voice of reason has now been transformed into a melted, mutated version of disorder."

9) Ressurection (10/10) Hugely different from the track before it, once again because it speaks of Edgecrusher and his whereabouts. Has a lot of singing and almost seems positive rather than scary and mechanical like the rest of the album. AMAZING, Love the strings. They could have made this the last track on the album. My 2nd favorite. If you havent yet, you must hear this before you judge Fear Factory.
Meaning- The meaning isn't as clear here as in the other songs. I think it refers to the resurrection of the memories that have been forgotten since the world became so technology oriented. During this part of the story, Edgecrusher finds a statue of a long dead man, and thinks he remembers it from somewhere. I'm pretty sure the statue is supposed to of Jesus Christ.

10) Timelessness (10/10) In this track, the meaning and the music seem to coincide with each other. Just Burton singing over some beautifully done strings. Seems to be mourning the loss of everything that was lost during the course of the album. The story in the booklet may seem a little far fetched to you at this point, but if you read it you will be able to tell that if things keep going the way they are, it could easily be this way by 2067 (when the story is set).

BONUS TRACKS- These don't follow the story.

11) Cars (8/10) A Gary Numan cover featuring Gary Numan. This was a big single. Like the orginal with added guitars and Burton singing. The second or third best bonus track.

12) 0-0 (Where evil dwells) (9/10) EVIL. Another cover. Pure death metal. Kind of creepy (as death metal should be). About a serial killer in Northport, Long Island.

13) Soulwound (11/10) This is so awesome! By far the best bonus track. Worth your extra money alone. Originally recorded for their now re-released first album "Concrete". Havent heard the Concrete version, just this one. Death metal, like 0-0. I love it when he sings "Soulwound, soulwound, deep cuts cut deeper".
I like this better than some of the normal tracks.

14) Messiah (9/10) Some really cool intrumentals with Burton screaming "Messiah!" over the top. I don't remember if it has any other lyrics or not.

15) Concreto (9/10) Sounds like a comic super-villain. More death metal stuff. Blasting bass drums and low singing. I used to hate this. I like it now.

GO BUY THIS ALBUM (The digi-pak version)

This Fear Factory CD may have been the one that made them more popular amongst the heavy metal world, but this is by no means a mainstream release. This CD is just amazing. I've had it for about 3 years now and it still hasn't lost the power it had the first time I heard it and was blown away by the opener "Shock". The thing about this CD is, tracks 1 through 10 (the regular songs) are almost like a story or a movie. The way one song goes into another perfectly and it all seems to tell one big story about machines and the end of mankind and that kind of thing. It's like a movie. The inside of the booklet even narrates the CD like it is a movie. And the musicianship is awesome. It is still the signature FF style with the relentlessly heavy guitar riffs, pounding drums, and bass with the vocalist's powerful growl mixed with his melodic singing which sounds evil as hell. And the bonus tracks are a must have. "Cars" was re-made wonderfully, "Where Evil Dwells" is evil and heavy and could've fit perfectly on Soul of a New Machine which is death metal and "Concreto" and "Soulwound" have almost all singing and they sound especially dark, and "Messiah" is another great heavy song. This CD is a must have for any FF fan or metal fan.

This cd really is incredible. It has an awesome story that proves that the human spirit always prevails. I loved it and thought it was quite emotional. The songs are mostly fantastic. The extra tracks are nothing special, except for cars whic is really cool. My personal favorite tracks are securitron, hi-tech hate, resurection and timelessness. Give it a shot, i guarentee you will enjoy it.

2 Words: great album. If you are a fan of old-school Fear Factory who thought Demanufacture was an advancement over Soul of a New Machine, then you'll absolutely love Obsolete. Obsolete is a bit lighter than Demanufacture, but nonetheless violently and brutaly powerful. The added tracks to this Digipak are good, with 0-0 (Where Evil Dwells) being one of FF's most incredible songs because of its sheer simplicity. I really didn't care much for Cars though, and it is a shame they are gaining popularity because of this poorly covered song (it is unchanged from Gary Newman's original) and not for their true musical talent. Newcomers to heavy-metal music would love this album as well, as this is one of FF's best. I didn't like it much at first, thinking they took a giant step backwards since i prefered old-school FF. But repeated listens won me over and this now stands as one of their best. Definite buy.

This was the first Fear Factory album I bought. I first found out about the band after reading about Geezer (fromerly G/Z/R, for whom Burton previously sang). I listened to a few of the samples, but wasn't convinced. I then got some mp3's and immediately bought the album. It's awesome! The whole CD is a story, which is kinda cool, and the extra tracks bring the total play time to almost 70 minutes, making it worth the few extra bucks the Limited Edition costs. I come from a slightly different crowd (Metallica [new and old], Black Sabbath, etc..) and this is my first foray into the, I guess, edgier stuff. I was a bit annoyed by the vocals the first time through, but they grow on you, as do all the songs! My favorite is Resurrection, although the rest still Kick ASS!! I'm planning to soon buy Demanfucature too. My advice: BUY IT, this should be in every metal fans's collection.

Fear Factory's first two albums were extremely heavy (more death metal than industrial); so 1998's "Obsolete" was the first album that really showed the band evolving. "Obsolete," which is a concept album about machines overcoming mankind, also showcases Fear Factory in their finest form. It's not as heavy as "Soul Of A New Machine" or "Demanufacture," but saying it's "watered down" is a ridiculous statement. This is heavy metal with an industrial edge. Sure, the blowtorch guitars and heavy drumming remain in tact, but a lot more spacious, futuristic sounding keyboards and clean, backing vocals to be heard here, as well. And some of this album, like the mysterious song "Timelessness," is almost pretty, even.

Tracks one and three have punching riffs which are backed by a pounding blast beat, and drummer Raymond Herrera really shines on "Securitron" and "Hi-Tech Hate." The former track begins with more thunderous double kick work, and "Hi-Tech Hate" has all around amazing drumming. Track two, "Edgecrusher," is a very infectious tune which is therefore one of the band's most famous and a fan favorite. Finally, the title track begins with a robotic voice murmuring things like "Man is obsolete." The actual song begins, however, and has fiery riffs, thumping drum beats, and a catchy chant of the title phrase.

As far as the bonus tracks go, they're all pretty good, and definitely worth owning. "Cars" is frowned upon by many fans, because it's an electronic toe-tapper that sounds like its straight off of MTV. Fortunately, "O-O" has explosive choruses and almost monstrous vocals, and "Soulwound," "Messiah," and "Concreto" all sound quite awesome.

"Obsolete" has my vote for being Fear Factory's finest release. It's simply great industrial metal, and it also has plenty of heavy stuff to please fans of the old-school. Plus, if you're new to FF, this is a great place to start.

This ablum had a deeper inpact on me then most people im sure, aside from the journey we get taken on right from the getgo as we have come to expect from all of their albums, this album lays out a story for us to follow which quite frankly is more believable then 99% of other concept albums out there.

But onto the music... wow......just wow
Shock - 5/5 pretty heavy opener
EdgeCrusher - 4/5 i love the beginning of this song
Smasher/Devourer - 5/5 very cool song PREPARE FOR SALVATION!
Securitron - 10/5 very easily the best song on this album
Descent - 5/5 very hypnotic guitar work here
Hi-tech hate - 2.5/5 definetly not my favorite song but worth a listen
Freedom or fire - 4/5 pretty good
Obsolete - 5/5 makes me want to punch someone
Resurrection - 5/5 if you can watch the video, its pretty sweet
Timelessness - 4/5 slow but good vocals
Cars - Im a huge cars fan so 5/5 and a great closer

All and all this is hands down my favorite Fear Factory album, instead of just one or two songs standing out they have managed to produce 11 songs that you could hear individually and want to hear the next song hoping it would be as good as the previous...and it is

Fear Factory, no strangers to the metal scene, unleashed "Obsolete" early in 1999 to hungry fans and the unsuspecting public. I had never about Fear Factory until the '99 Ozzfest in Boston. After hearing them play, I promptly bought their new (at the time) album.

The perfectly-assembled album "Obsolete" is an epic saga that takes place in the not-so-distant future, in a time where machines now control all aspects of human life. We are introduced to the Edgecrusher, a man being held in prison against his will by the government and its machines. The Edgecrusher is mankinds last hope, a domestic terrorist fighting for man's freedom. He escapes his captors, and the story begins. What follows is Edgecrusher and humanities' futile efforts to fight back against the machines, and take back our lives and existence from our mechanical overlords. From initial signs of hope, to the overwhelming presence of surveillance everywhere he goes, and eventually, to the Edgecrushers final ephiphany concerning the future of mankind, the vocals and music carrying this saga are flawless.

Enthralling, haunting, inspiring, rocking, and heartbreaking, "Obsolete" deserves a spot on the top list of greatest metal albums of all time.